--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Growing up, I was poor. In college, I was…" description: "\"Growing up, I was poor. In college, I was poor. I never had anything.\" — Jon Jones" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/307/jon-jones-1595_anything_growing-up-i-was-poor-in-college-i-was-p_1293985.jpg" --- # Growing up, I was poor. In college, I was poor. I never… ![“Growing up, I was poor. In college, I was poor. I never had anything.” quote by Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/307/jon-jones-1595_anything_growing-up-i-was-poor-in-college-i-was-p_1293985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/307/jon-jones-1595_anything_growing-up-i-was-poor-in-college-i-was-p_1293985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/307/jon-jones-1595_anything_growing-up-i-was-poor-in-college-i-was-p_1293985.jpg) > “Growing up, I was poor. In college, I was poor. I never had anything.” [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker emphasizes lifelong poverty and lack of material possessions. **In simple terms:** I grew up and stayed poor, with nothing. Key Takeaway Acknowledge hardship, seek change. Themes poverty struggle resilience economic inequality personal narrative Mood introspective motivational Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - education - career development - financial planning - social support Key Concepts self-awareness motivation socioeconomic mobility Questions to Reflect On - What steps can break the cycle of poverty? - How does sharing hardship inspire others? A Different Perspective Personal anecdotes may not capture systemic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [How can I go from this poor college kid one day and the next day get a check for $7 million. How's that going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-leaf/how-can-i-go-from-this-poor-college-kid-one-day-and-the-next-day-get/) [Ryan Leaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-leaf/) > [“I was not use to that kind of hunger, even as a poor college student.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-wenzel/i-was-not-use-to-that-kind-of-hunger-even-as-a-poor-college-student/) Julie Wenzel > [I had absolutely no focus as a kid. I never paid attention at school, I never went to college. Not because we were too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-had-absolutely-no-focus-as-a-kid-i-never-paid-attention-at-school-i/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [I thought I was going to be a poet when I was in college, but then I found out I was poor so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-poet-when-i-was-in-college-but-then-i/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Growing up in a very poor orphanage in Ukraine, there wasn't much food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oksana-masters/growing-up-in-a-very-poor-orphanage-in-ukraine-there-wasn-t-much-food/) [Oksana Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oksana-masters/) > [When we were growing up, we were so poor that our heritage was the only thing we had. Mama would say, 'Kids, pour more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/when-we-were-growing-up-we-were-so-poor-that-our-heritage-was-the/) [Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/) > [“There are few advantages to growing up poor, and not having money for therapy is the biggest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/there-are-few-advantages-to-growing-up-poor-and-not-having-money-for/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [Growing up poor, I didn't even have a lunch to take to school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/growing-up-poor-i-didn-t-even-have-a-lunch-to-take-to-school/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [Despite growing up in very poor circumstances, my father had big dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/despite-growing-up-in-very-poor-circumstances-my-father-had-big-dreams/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [I think that growing up very poor in a very wealthy town gave me a sense of being an outsider, and I hated it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-think-that-growing-up-very-poor-in-a-very-wealthy-town-gave-me-a/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Growing up poor taught me a lot. 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I may be part of the three percent because I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/i-don-t-want-there-to-be-this-separation-between-the-rich-and-poor-i/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [College, for me, was more about wrestling than actually going to classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/college-for-me-was-more-about-wrestling-than-actually-going-to-classes/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [Growing up, we weren't poor, but we didn't have money to spare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reeves/growing-up-we-weren-t-poor-but-we-didn-t-have-money-to-spare/) [Rachel Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reeves/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) ## More by Jon Jones > [College, for me, was more about wrestling than actually going to classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/college-for-me-was-more-about-wrestling-than-actually-going-to-classes/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [I'm crazy enough to believe that maybe I'll never lose a fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/i-m-crazy-enough-to-believe-that-maybe-i-ll-never-lose-a-fight/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [I've come to expect more out of myself - as a citizen, as a man, as an athlete - to reach a better place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/i-ve-come-to-expect-more-out-of-myself-as-a-citizen-as-a-man-as-an/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [Thank you for helping me solve this problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/thank-you-for-helping-me-solve-this-problem/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [I would love to fight Brock Lesnar. He's a massive dude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/i-would-love-to-fight-brock-lesnar-he-s-a-massive-dude/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [It's not my business what other people think of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/it-s-not-my-business-what-other-people-think-of-me/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [Wake up this morning knowing that the possibility for love is closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/wake-up-this-morning-knowing-that-the-possibility-for-love-is-closer/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [A champion without his belt is like a knight without his sword. I've got to have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/a-champion-without-his-belt-is-like-a-knight-without-his-sword-i-ve/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [Most customer service people are great. It's that one customer service person from hell that drives me crazy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/most-customer-service-people-are-great-it-s-that-one-customer-service/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [As lonely and sad as I am today, your return will cause a new birth in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/as-lonely-and-sad-as-i-am-today-your-return-will-cause-a-new-birth-in/) [Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/) > [There's never been a southpaw fighter to make it five rounds with me. 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That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/) [Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/) > [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/) [Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/) > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/) [Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/) > [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Growing up, I was poor. In college, I was poor. 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